Night latch



Dec. 5, 1950 A. F. LlCKTElG 2,532,630

NIGHT LATCH Filed Jan; 5, 1948 \Nvanrog w vum M ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED FTCE 1 nron'rmrcn embers-F. hickteiggfirand Rapids,'=Mich;, r-assignor "to National ;:Brass Eompany, afiraridejltapids, ..Mich.,-ra.corporation of :Michi an @sppiicautn'Janu-ary 5,;194s,:seria1 Noi'5'56 ition of 1' the :operating I spindle with the-movable ibolt structure toaaipluralityrof Idifferent posirations, insreach oft-which the latchstructure has Ae aims. (omega-.142)

I :2 'l henig-ht iat'ch' structure--or my invention ineludesahouSing formed of sheet metal, the outer end portion of which is of cylindrical form, as "ndicatedat 1, having an open outer endand .-5 "with attaheddiangesi extending at the open 'end in -opposite directions. The'inner portion of the housing is of 'a generally rectangular form 1a cross*sectio'nfhairihg parallel 'sp'aced "sides 3, a tlosed- -'inner--end -4 and upper and' lower sides l vhich' are' cor'itinuation's of the cylindrical front -portionfor'the width between the sides 3. "There are shouldersfas be'st s'h'ovvn i'n Fig. #3, transverse of' 'the. housing in the integralconnection 'of the sides LSto' -the front cylindrical sec-ti'on of 5.2. ilife;of service"'equal torthose"heretoiore made; i -T-thc housirig. 'At opposite-sidesand in the gen "so that :the life :of rservicegimayi be multiplied'ras :;many;;,times :as there :are adjustments for :con- .necting'. the operating"spindlezand" thetbolt. In 2' practice in the :presentiinventiom the structure 'has a possibility ofifour times the lengthof'servvice of projection latchi boltsrlo'f 4a agenera'llyllike character. Furthermore, with this invention, the parts are T fabricated .using large :quantity economical methods of production r available because: :of 'the novel constructions .whichhave been provided. .The invention also for afiurther: object has a stabilizing of the movement of the bolt in the housing and a prevention of rotativesmovement 0f the projectableportionof the'bolt'about its longitudinal axis in a cylindricalhousing-which :is easilyand'economicallyinstalled upona door 'uponwhich it is to b'e used. v

An understanding o'f "the in'ventionmay' be had "from the following description, "taken; in connection with the accompanying drawingoin which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through fragmentary adjacent portions :of aaidoorji'andza door casing or jamb, with the bolt housing in longitudinal section and the boltand" 'its'la'ctua'tinglmechw nism shown in elevation, the bolti'being'in"locking position, I

FigLcZ is a view similar to;Fig. l of thexla-tch .bolt structure, with the bolt .awithdrawn;

Fig.3 isa horizontal section.throughvthe-door and latchhousing, with the boltzand retracting mechanism therefor in plan,s and "j Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are transverse vertical sections through the latch bolt construction on the planes, respectively, of lines 4 -4, 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

' eral plane of'the i-nner portion ofthe housing, "two --tongues' 5 are pressed" inwardly as shown, a short distance outwardly from said shoulders.

" The houSingdescribed -vvit-h the night latch szzll bolt-'-movably *mounted therein, as hereinafter descr i-bedkisadapted to be inserted into'a h0rinontal cylindrical opening 6 for the 'bolt' at the free'verticaledge of a hingedly mounted door I, =and-with the flanges 2 adapted to be screw con- .eb' -nectedto'the door in the usual manner.

'30 .anescutcheon'or. rose ill, which may lie against :a side of' the door 'l :andbe-secured thereto by screws or-other iastenings in the usualmann'er. The pinion 'ex'tends through I a suitable opening =-at the" side 'of the -:door at which theknob is '35 mounted,- which: opening reaches 'to the-cylindrical' bo'ring-at fi. 'Ihepinion 8 is of a suflicient length that itz'extends' through opposed circular aopenings l "in-the sides'3' of the inner part of the housing. It isguided-in its rotative move- 4'0 ments by the s'ides-oi the housing. The openings I r have centers-substantial1y midway -between the upper and-:lowersides of'thehousing.

"The'lat'ch bolt is a cylindrical body !2 of arietal :of 'a length such th'at whenin its operation-it is"'retra'cted to release-adoor, as in theinner=endxoftheboltlZ does notreach "to the tongues 5, though approaching them; "Be- 'tween its-endaan annular groove 13 is made -aroundthe =icyli-ndrical' bolt,='-in which a normally 60 expanding spring ring 44 parted at one side and preferably made of Wire, is located, the tendency of which is for the ring to open at its parting and press outwardly, so that it bears with a relatively light frictional pressure against the inner 65 sides of the cylindrical outer section I of the housing. This steadies and stabilizes the bolt in its movement and prevents rattling or aimless movement of it.

The night latch structure is completed by an actuating member which is a screw machine product, made preferably from square bar stock. At its outer end portion a bar square in cross section is machined to make a rod l5 circular in cross section, exteriorly threaded at its outer end and adapted for screw connection with the bolt 52 at its rear portion, threading into an interiorly threaded opening made therein for the rod. Substantially at the middle portion of the rod stock used, a short length-indicated at 16 is not machined, but left as a short, block-in its square iorm. Back of or inwardly of the block it the square rod stock is machined in a succes ive series of spaced grooves," leaving between the successive grooves, which are made entirely around the rod, a series of rack teeth H, which in eiTect-provide four racks, one above, one below, and one ateach side of the axis of the rod The attachment of the rod IE to the bolt I2 is at a position eccentric to the longitudinal axis i of said bolt and so located that when the rod 15, and the attached rack structure l'i secured to the bolt, is inserted in the housing, one side of the rack comes underneath the elongated spindle pinion 8, the teeth of which engage with the side of the rack which is located at the upper side of the actuating member described.

When thus assembled, by turning the knob 9, the bolt 52 may be moved outwardly to enter an opening it in the door jamb or casing Hi, to which the free edge of the mounted door comes into opposition when it is closed, and in accordance with the usual practice, a plate 20, with an opening for passage of the bolt, is secured to the jamb as shown. Such outward movement is stopped when the block It? comes to a tongue 5. One only of said tongues will serve as a stop, as shown in Fig. 1, but two of them are provided, diametrically opposite each other, for facility in assembling the parts of the structure, with an insurance that a stop tongue 5 will be properly positioned in the path of movement of the block 55. In latch bolts of this character, with their relatively weak rack teeth, there is a possibility of the teeth which engage the pinion 8 becoming Y worn and in time becoming weakened so that one or more of the teeth break. The bolt and the connected actuating member therefor may thereupon be withdrawn from the housing-and the actuating member turned through an arc of ninety degrees, by reason of its screw connection to the bolt I2, thus presenting a new rack for with no loss.

"with its four-rack advantages.

chromium steel and which, economically, is not suitable for latches of this character. The actuating member, consisting of the rod l5 and the rack teeth ii, on the other hand, preferably will be of a relatively low carbon steel, and for the desirable properties and qualities of such material in connection with the rack part thereof which is subjected to'the hardest service.

The invention is economical to produce. The fabrication of the housing is the same as heretofore, with substantially no gain in advantage and The actuating spindle 8 andits attached knob S are as heretofore, without advantage 'or disadvantage in comparison with duced in large quantities and at very low cost and of a desired best material. The actuating member connected with it, made of the best material for it, is an automatic screw machine product of very high quantity economical production, and The economy in manufacture over the previous practice is marked, in addition to the longer life and other advantages which have been recited,

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I.claim:'

l. 'A latch comprisinga housing having'a cylindrical outer portion and a flattened inner portion, a latch bolt slidably mounted in said cylindrical portion, a stem rotatably connected to said bolt, a rack formed integrally with said stem and slidably located in the flattened portion of the housing,-saidrack being square-in cross section and of appro-Ximatelythe same thickness as the width of the flattened portion of the casing and having rack teethon more than one of its sides, and a spindle extending transversely through said flattened part of the housing and having gear teeth meshing with the teethon one'side of the rack.

' 2.-The elements of claim 1 combined with an annular groove in the outer surface of the latch bolt and an expanding spring split ring in said groove frictionally engageable with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the housing.

3. The elements of claim 1 in which said spindle holds said rackin close proximity to one of the shorter sides of the flattened portion of the housing.

4. The elements of claim 1 in which said spindle is removable and a stop extending inwardly in said housing and engageable with the rack when the spindle is in position to limit outward movement of the rack.

ALBERT F. LICKTEIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

